JOLLIBEE SORRY, SAYS INCIDENT IS ISOLATED

MANILA - A gender queer applying for an outsourced job position in Jollibee Foods Corp. (JFC) got accepted but was allegedly barred from working in the office because of their sexual orientation.

In a Facebook post, Bunny Cadag, who was applying as a transcriber through manpower agency Human Capitol Development (HCD), said they were told Jollibee is "not yet ready for LGBT culture."

Cadag was allegedly told by a certain Louie Angsico of HCD that JFC is still willing to hire them but only "through recording" as the company does not welcome the idea of an LGBT member working in its office.

"Hindi pa sila welcoming sa idea na may transgender sa loob ng isa sa mga kwarto nila at gumagawa ng transkripsyon. Ang JFC raw ay may paniniwalang Katoliko," they added.

Cadag said the incident happened on June 30, 2017 after a series of interviews. Cadag tried to get an explanation from HCD and Jollibee but only got automated responses as Angsico was abroad.

"Gusto kong tumindig at lumabas ang nangayari, kaso naghintay ako nang matagal, feeling ko walang mangyayari," Cadag told ABS-CBN News.

Cadag's post has gone viral, with over 3,000 likes and around 1,500 shares on Facebook in less than 24 hours.

"Nasasaktan ako sa mga hindi pa rin malawak ang pang-uunawa sa LGBT culture, thougj di naman natin maiiwsan 'yun," said Cadag.

"Maganda rin naman ito para magkaroon ng discussion," Cadag added, saying that the incident has happened to other LGBT members.

Cadag said JFC already reached out to them and apologized. JFC, according to Cadag, explained that there were "inconsistencies" in policy of the company.

"They apologized. Pero di pa sila nag-take ownership sa situation. Nagkaroon daw ng inconsistencies sa policy ng company," Cadag said.

JOLLIBEE APOLOGY

Jollibee on Thursday issued a public apology, saying it was an isolated incident and that the company does not tolerate discrimination.

"This experience has taught us that we should further heighten awareness and understanding of this policy across the organization," Jollibee said.

In response, Cadag said the company should prove that it is fair in treating people of all gender preferences by coming up with concrete solutions.

"Personally, gusto ko ng pormal na paliwanag mula sa client- Jollibee- kung talagang 'hindi sila handa' na makipagtrabaho sa mga tulad ko. At paliwanag din sa HCD kung ano ang mekanismo nila upang hindi ma-compromise ang kanilang mga outsourced personnel gaya ko kung may mga kliyente na may discriminatory policies," said Cadag.

"Gusto kong patunayan nila ito sa pamamagitan ng pagkakaroon ng company policy on anti-discrimination na ipagbawal ang anumang uri ng diskriminasyon sa iba't ibang level ng employment. At na sila ay magsagawa ng angkop na gender sensitivity at SOGIE workshop in partnership with women and LGBT advocacy organizations," they addes.

Cadag is hoping the incident would not only heighten the awareness on LGBT issues but also encourage other members of the community to speak up and stand for their rights.

[Editor's note: The singular "they" was the pronoun used in the article to refer to the gender queer interviewee, as preferred.]